Feinberg
Northwestern Medicine | Northwestern University | Faculty Profiles

News Center

  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Podcasts
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Menu
  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Podcasts
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Home » Health Literacy Linked to Poor Health
Uncategorized

Health Literacy Linked to Poor Health

By medwebOct 1, 2005
Share
Facebook Twitter Email

October 4, 2005

Health Literacy Linked to Poor Health


CHICAGO—Elderly individuals with poor health literacy have more physical and mental health problems than those with adequate health literacy, according to a study published in the September 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

The study, led by Michael S. Wolf, PhD, MPH, of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, found that even though older adults with lower health literacy were more likely to have never smoked and to have abstained from alcohol than those with adequate health literacy, those with poor health literacy were in worse emotional and physical condition than their health-literate counterparts.

The Institute of Medicine reports that 48 percent of adults in the United States have inadequate health literacy, defined as the ability to obtain, process, and understand basic information and services needed to make appropriate decisions regarding health, according to background information in the article. Besides basic reading skills, individuals need to be able to read and understand numerical information such as that on prescription bottles and to read and interpret document information such as appointment slips.

Dr. Wolf, assistant professor of medicine at the Feinberg School, and colleagues at Northwestern and Emory University used data from a survey of more than 2,900 Medicare participants—average age 71 years—in Cleveland, Houston, Tampa, and Fort Lauderdale-Miami. They conducted interviews to determine individuals’ physical and mental health status, including medical history and alcohol and tobacco use.

Approximately one third of those surveyed had marginal (11 percent) or inadequate (22 percent) health literacy.

Individuals with inadequate health literacy had significantly higher rates of certain chronic conditions, including high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, heart failure, and arthritis. They also were more likely to report limitations related to health, including activities of daily living and pain that interfered “quite a bit” or “extremely” with normal work activity. “The magnitude of these associations were large and clinically important,” the researchers said.

Previous studies have suggested that inadequate health literacy is linked to worse knowledge of proper health behaviors and lower adherence to medical instructions; that despite access to health care the quality of medical encounters may be compromised when health care providers do not communicate at a level that is understood; and that patient education materials may be too complex or written at too high a level to be helpful.

“Over time, these factors could contribute to the worse health status seen among the older patients with low health literacy in this study,” the authors suggested.

“Although the causal pathways between low health literacy and disease-specific health outcomes remain unclear, this study provides further evidence of the likelihood that inadequate health literacy detrimentally affects health,” the authors conclude.

To develop appropriate and responsive interventions, the researchers recommend that future studies discern how adults with lower health literacy recognize health issues and identify barriers to seeking out appropriate health care services. In addition, interventions are needed that can help physicians and other health care professionals recognize and address the special needs of patients with limited health literacy.

Dr. Wolf’s co-researchers on the study were David W. Baker, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine, Feinberg School, and Julie A. Gazmararian, Emory Center on Health Outcomes and Quality, Emory University. Drs. Wolf and Baker are researchers in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Institute for Healthcare Studies at Feinberg and affiliated with The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.

Dr. Wolf is supported by career development award 1 K01 EH000067-01 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Share. Facebook Twitter Email

Related Posts

Lurie Cancer Center Receives Merit Extension from NCI

Oct 20, 2021

Drug Combination May Reduce Risk of Leukemia Relapse

Mar 26, 2020

Rewriting the Role of a Transcription Factor

Mar 19, 2020

Comments are closed.

Latest News

Medical School Faculty Named AAAS Fellows

Jan 31, 2023

Transforming the Way Cancer Vaccines are Designed and Made

Jan 30, 2023

Calcium Channels Regulate Neuroinflammation and Neuropathic Pain 

Jan 27, 2023

Changes in Medical School Leadership

Jan 26, 2023

Shortage of Mental Health Professionals Linked to Increase in Youth Suicides

Jan 25, 2023
  • News Center Home
  • Categories
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
  • News Archives
  • About Us
Flickr Photos
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-24
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-16
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-14
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-5
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-6
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-10
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-8
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-18
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-23
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-25
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-26

Northwestern University logo

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

RSS Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Flickr YouTube Instagram
Copyright © 2023 Northwestern University
  • Contact Northwestern University
  • Disclaimer
  • Campus Emergency Information
  • Policy Statements

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.